I woke up to a message from my builder friend that said, “Today is the day.” My wife and I had been praying for months about purchasing a lot and building a home. It would stretch our budget and we had heard about the stress involved in building a home.
To complicate the decision, I was in the midst of the intense tenure application process at a major university. If I failed in the process I would be let go.
Read MoreMy two daughters and I walked into an antique store when they were very young. Intrigue met them with every glance. History was on display and there was a story behind each item. Porcelean dolls with tattered dresses, ancient doll-houses meticulously built by craftsmen of another era: Shoes and lacy dresses and hats and rocking horses. Their imaginations were ignited and dreams were being sown in their hearts.
Read MoreI have a good friend that has always believed in me. That in and of itself is a blessing. His name is Gary. I am humbled by his gift of friendship. One day he uncharacteristically drove alone to a public golf course in Las Vegas. Upon checking in he was told there was a single on the first tee whom he could join. A few holes into the round this other gentleman shared that his company was looking for a speaker at their upcoming national conference in Hawaii.
Read MoreI was about to panic. Our movie was to start shooting in about four weeks and we had not found someone to play the “antagonist” - the world’s number one golfer. We were casting the part as an Asian superstar with the screen name of TK Oh. Tom Lehman and I had been working diligently on this task for weeks.
Read MoreAn Admiral showed up several years ago at one of our men’s retreats in Utopia. As he began to share his story during the introductions, he said that he wasn’t a churchgoer and really didn’t know why he was there. He told us that a couple weeks before the retreat a family member in another state was struggling with substance abuse and so he jumped on a Southwest flight in the northeast and flew to the treatment center in the west. Somewhere along the way he reached into the seat back pocket for a magazine to read. Instead his hands felt a book. He pulled it out and discovered a golf novel strategically left there by a previous passenger. Inside the cover was a hand written message that simply said, “This is for you, enjoy.” The attendants had missed it during clean up on the previous flight.
Read MoreOne day while hitting practice balls at the original Utopia driving range, the owner drove by. He lived near the 8th green of this minimalist nine-holer we affectionately called a goat ranch. That’s the name given in Texas to golf courses of this caliber. He stopped to say hello. I asked how he conceived the idea to build a driving range and course in the middle of nowhere. His name was Wayne. His answer was priceless: “Well sonny, I am an ole goat rancher. When the goat business went belly up I had to do something with my property so I built a golf course.” It indeed was a goat ranch and worse yet, a defunct one! Wayne passed away a few years later not knowing how profound his decision to build a course would be to the world.
Read MoreFresh off the tortuous course conditions at the U.S. Open at Chamber's Bay and the brutal weather challenges at the British Open at St. Andrews, the origin of golf, Dr. Cook shares a humorous excerpt from his novel: Johnny's US Open. This passage describes the nightmare our main character had on the eve of his first US Open as a competitor. Enjoy. We will return to the Journey of Awe series in the weeks to come.
Read MoreThe true journey of awe is better than fiction.
Several years back we were living in Fort Worth, Texas. I was commuting back and forth to San Antonio every other week to work with the San Antonio Spurs. An opportunity came about that would allow us to move to San Antonio to have more time with the team, as well as start a “mental game” golf academy at a major resort. But there was a catch…
Read MoreA few years back I was invited to play the perennial number one ranked golf course in the world, Pine Valley. It is on every golfer’s bucket list. The first interesting aspect of the invitation was that I was living part time in Utopia, Texas at the time. My course in Utopia was pretty much the opposite of Pine Valley, if you catch my drift. Secondly, the invitation also included the sharing of my faith with a group of men at this particular gathering. So in essence the trip started with awe. Only God could orchestrate such an invitation.
Read MoreThe magnolia tree gives life to the noticer. It’s aroma and brilliant white flowers bring hope each spring that lasts through mid summer. I look for them as one looks for treasure. Glimpses of heaven abound if we look carefully. The magnolia bloom is one...
Read MoreA good friend of mine passed away last month. I cried and smiled simultaneously. Cried because I miss him and because he died young. But I smiled because I know where he is today. The story is one of true awe. It will move fast so just be in awe and know this is better than fiction...
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